The annual rowing regatta returns to the Tennessee River
Competition and excitement will fall upon the glorious Scenic City this Saturday and Sunday, in the form of a longstanding, two-day, crew style rowing regatta, called the “Head of the Hooch”, where thousands of boats and participants will come together to row toward glory.
Formally known as the “Head of the Chattahoochee”, and the “Last of the Great Fall” regattas, the event has taken place for roughly three and a half decades. Where Chattanooga has not always been the hosted location for the event, it has been held at the Ross’s Landing venue on the Tennessee River for the last twelve years.
25,000 spectators are expected to gather over the duration of the event hosted by The Atlanta Rowing Club, and the Lookout Rowing Club. The Head of the Hooch is one of the largest rowing regattas in the world and, according to organizers, over 2,100 boats and 9,000 participants from over two hundred different organizations, twenty-eight states, and three countries, will battle against the clock in an attempt to gain the fastest time of their specific group as part of the head style race.
The boats/participants will all race a 5,000 meter/3.1-mile course on the Tennessee River that ends at Ross’s Landing, and will begin their separate trek’s in twenty second increments.
Points are awarded for a 1st to 6th place finish in each event, and categories include Youth, Championship, College and Club, Masters (age 21 and above), Alumni (represent collegiate Alma Mater), Open (19 years old or less), Novice (one year or less of experience), and Parent/Child Double.
Team points trophies are awarded to the teams in four categories, Collegiate, ACC, Masters, and Youth, and 437 Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals will be awarded.
The event has seen exponential growth since its inaugural year in 1982, where it began on the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, Georgia, and started with just over one hundred racing boats.
After sixteen years, continued growth moved the race location further up the river to the Olympic rowing site in Gainesville, Georgia where they would stay for another seven years before further growth pushed them to Chattanooga, where accommodations for the massive, ever growing event could be met for the foreseeable future.
Since its arrival to Chattanooga in 2005, the Head of the Hooch has annually brought in an average of over 6,000 rowers, 15,000 spectators, and according to the Chattanooga Sports & Events Committee, an economic impact upwards of six million dollars.
The event is one hundred percent run by volunteers, and during the week of the regatta, over 750 helpers put in 4,000 hours to ensure the event standards are met. This will be an exciting spectacle for spectators of all ages, and a mighty show of strength, determination, finesse, and unity for the participants.
The city will be in full swing as the weather is expected to be somewhere in the perfect range, and the energy from the event will put electricity into the air. The steps at Ross’s Landing, and the bridges will be packed with fans, family, photographers, and people just experiencing life as a magic moment in space and time happens right before their eyes.
Do not miss it Chattanooga, come experience the regatta that blesses our wonderful city annually.